Centre-right wins Moroccan poll, Islamists finish second

Sep 9, 2007, 3:16 GMT

Rabat - The Islamist Party of Justice and Development (PJD) rose from third to second-strongest party in Morocco's parliamentary elections, failing to make the breakthrough it had hoped for to biggest party, according to preliminary results announced Saturday.

The PJD took 47 seats in the 325-member Parliament in Friday's poll, up from 42 seats in 2002, the Interior Ministry announced.

The big winner of the elections was the centre-right, with the nationalist party Istiqlal coming first with 52 legislators. In 2002, Istiqlal had come second after the Socialist USFP, taking 48 seats.

The second runner-up was the PJD, followed by the Berber-inspired Popular Movement with 43 seats, and the National Rally of Independents (RNI) with 38 seats.

The Istiqlal, Popular Movement and RNI are centre-right parties that participated in the outgoing coalition government, headed by technocrat Driss Jettou, in which the Socialist USFP carried the most weight.

The big loser of the elections was the USFP, which came fifth with 36 seats, down from 50 seats in 2002.

Definitive results were expected Sunday.

Parties have already begun discreet talks about forming a coalition government, which was expected to be headed by Istiqlal. However, King Mohammed VI, who appoints the prime minister, is not obliged to choose a representative of the biggest party.

It has been unclear whether the king and the other parties would be willing to give the PJD important portfolios in a coalition government.

More than 15 million people were registered as eligible voters in the elections, which were contested by 33 parties and 13 independent lists.

Voter turnout of 37 per cent, down from 51.6 per cent in 2002, was seen as a blow to the regime of King Mohammed, whose democratic credentials were at stake.

The drop in participation reflects voter disillusionment with what they see as toothless government, with the king wielding key powers and with politicians accused of seeking self-interest and of breaking their promises, according to analysts.

The low turnout was believed to have harmed the PJD, which alleged widespread vote-buying.

Parties such as the RNI, however, rejected fraud allegations. Interior Minister Chakib Benmoussa said the vote, which was supervised officially by dozens of foreign and Moroccan observers, had taken place in regular conditions.

By not voting for the USFP, Moroccans had penalized the government for social problems such as corruption and a deteriorating educational system, observers said. The Socialists were in charge of such policies, while Istiqlal members held more technical portfolios, which allowed them to take credit for infrastructure projects.

The PJD had toned down its Islamist rhetoric, focusing its campaign on promises to root out corruption in Morocco, where graft reaches down from state-owned banks to patients having to pay extra for a hospital bed.

The centre-right parties had joined many of the criticisms voiced by the PJD, while the Socialists had defended the government's performance, a stand that cost them votes, analysts said.

The Jettou government is credited with improving housing, infrastructure and the rights of women, who will get at least 30 seats by quota in the new parliament.

But Morocco still has a long way to go, with an estimated 40 per cent of the population of 33 million living in poverty and about 50 per cent illiterate.

Observers say the regime is attempting to control Islamist movements, using the relatively moderate PJD to stem more radical organizations such as the illegal but tolerated al-Adl Wal Ihsane (Justice and Charity), which does not contest elections.

Morocco has also seen the emergence of small, violent groups, such as the one that killed 45 people in the Casablanca suicide bombings in May 2003.

This year, several suicide bombers have attempted attacks in Casablanca, usually killing only themselves. A police officer was also killed and several dozen people injured in the blasts.

Since 2003, Morocco has been spared the level of violence seen in neighbouring Algeria, which has suffered a long-running conflict between the secular, military government and Islamist militants.

Despite a government move toward national reconciliation with some groups, violence has continued in Algeria, including the most recent suicide bombings Thursday and Saturday with a combined death toll of more than 50.